Catch-up edition, part 2!

Hello again!  I'm going to bring you all up to speed on our lives from June-September so that we are all caught up and ready to start fresh with October for the next post!

June
-Happy 6th anniversary to us on June 12th, and happy 2nd anniversary to Eric and Sarah on the 21st!
-We went to the Hendricks County Rib Fest on the grounds of our church.  We brought Thor along, which was probably a silly idea given that it was over 90 degrees!  We were signed up for the "Rib Run 5k," but we only ended up walking one mile out and one mile back.  Poor Thor was so hot and tired, and we had to carry him part of the way!  We did try some pulled pork and funnel cakes, which were pretty yummy!

In front of the hot air balloons at Rib Fest.

Matt and Thor after the Rib Run!

-Matt and I attended an Indy Eleven professional soccer match against Mexico's Pachuca team.  It was a blazing hot day and we both failed to wear sunscreen and we ended up getting pretty burnt!  It was so hot that they ran out of bottled water during the second half! The Eleven won in an exciting match.

July
-After a shift at work, I drove to Brownsburg (one town over from Avon) to run a 5k.  I forgot that I had to work when I registered for the race.  Oops!  It was an enjoyable run around a town where I had never run before.

12 hour night shift + 5k run = a tired Stacey

-We went on a fun and exciting vacation with the entire Seitz family at the end of July/beginning of August.  We traveled to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and we stayed in the same house that we stayed in during the summer of 2012.

-We enjoyed being right across the street from the beach.  It was nice to be able to spend a couple hours down by the water each day.

On our last day there, Dad and I went running on the beach and then jumped into the ocean with our running clothes on!

-The house also has a lovely pool and going for a swim in the beach and then coming back for a swim in the pool was perfect!

-This is the fourth time I have been to Hilton Head, and it is nice to have a feel for the area.  We know a lot of the good restaurants and shopping in the area.

-Some of us went deep sea fishing, which ended up just being a nice 4-hour boat ride.  No one in our group caught anything (except I hooked the rocks a few times), and the other groups only caught a couple small sharks.  After fishing, we enjoyed lunch at the famous "Salty Dog Cafe," which was delicious!

-Some of group also took an evening trip to Savannah, Georgia, for a haunted bar crawl.  It wasn't very spooky, but it was a nice little walking tour around parts of the city.  It was also nice to celebrate cousin Allison's 21st birthday!

-One of the most fun excursions was a 2-hour catamaran boat tour.  We got to explore some of the marsh land and drive our little two-person power boats near the Harbor Town lighthouse.

-Thank you to Bob and Sheila for taking care of Thor while we were away!  We stopped at their house for a couple days on our way back from vacation for a nice visit.

August
-I had surgery on my right ankle for tarsal tunnel syndrome.  I have been having trouble with my ankle for just over a year which caused inner ankle pain as well as numbness, tingling, and cramping in my arch and toes (think carpal tunnel syndrome, but in my ankle).  The pain and discomfort were so unpredictable and continued to get worse instead of better, and I exhausted all conservative treatments including cortisone injections.  Not only was it difficult to run, but I was also in pain during every day life.

Little known fact: doggy and narwhal snuggles have magical ankle-healing properties!

-Thank you to everyone who sent emails, texts, cards, and care packages!  I was essentially on "bed rest" for a while and had to sit with my leg elevated at all times.  It was nice to have things to break up the monotony!  Also thank you to Bob and Sheila who stopped by on their way home from Branson, MO, and took us out to dinner (my first excursion out of the house since surgery), and to my parents who came over to help us do some cleaning around the house!

One week post-op

September
-I was on crutches and not allowed to bear weight on my ankle for three weeks, which was quite inconvenient.  Now I am in a walking boot and walking better, but am not completely pain free.  It will be a little while before I am able to run again, but physical therapy is going well and the incision is healing nicely.

It is boot season!

Five weeks post-op. It looks so much better!

-My dad was selected as a Mini Marathon ambassador!  He will spend the next several months leading up to the race (in May) trying to motivate people to register for and to run the race.
-Matt had surgery in September to fix some vericose veins that were causing some problems.  He is currently 2 weeks post-op and is feeling much better and almost back to normal.
-We decided to retire our Purdue shower curtain in favor of something that looks less like it belongs in a college apartment.  We are hoping to finish re-decorating the guest bathroom by the end of the year with a new paint color and a new mirror.

-This past week, I have been busy getting everything set up for my clinical rotation next semester, as well as for heading back to work next week. After 6 weeks off, I am ready to go back and take care of the kiddos!  I will be doing my Advanced Assessment clinical at a clinic that is sponsored by our church, called Hope Health Care.  It offers free and low cost health services to people who do not have health insurance.
-Yesterday, I drove up to Westfield and my mom and I went out to lunch.  Back at the house, we visited and also put together team t-shirts for a marathon relay that my dad is doing tomorrow.

Hanging out with Teddy.

 -My parents are building a new house in a different neighborhood in Westfield.  It will definitely be weird for them to move, since they have lived in their current house since 1998!  I was able to walk through a house with the same floorplan as the one they are building though, and it is going to be very nice.
-We are sad to announce that Matt's parents' dog Aladdin passed away.  Aladdin was a super sweet boy and we will miss him!

Wow, we are all caught up!  Yay for procrastination (I wrote this instead of studying for Pathophysiology...)!

We hope everyone is doing well!

Until next time,
Stacey, Matt, and Thor

Playing catch-up

Hello, faithful Draper Diary readers!  Again, I prove to be quite a slacker when it comes to this blog, but in my defense, we keep pretty busy around here!

I continue to work full-time at Riley Hospital for Children in the Pediatric ICU and go to school part-time through Ball State University to earn my Masters degree in Nursing so that I may become a Family Nurse Practitioner.  I am currently in my third semester and somehow still have a 4.0 GPA (we will see what happens after this semester...Advanced Pathophysiology may break me)!

It looks like the last time I posted was in February after the Super Bowl, so I will do my best to break down what we have been doing since then.  Obviously, I will not remember everything, but I take a lot of pictures, so maybe those will help jog my memory.

February:
-I ran a very cold Valentine's Day-themed race in downtown Indy between shifts at work.  I worked Friday night and then ran Saturday morning!  The run felt pretty good, probably because I couldn't feel any of my extremities.  If I remember correctly, it was around 8 degrees!

I call this photo "Runner's High."

-Matt and I went to a very exciting Purdue basketball game.  We went up a little early and ate dinner at the Student Union (Matt got his favorite pizza, and I got a burger from Pappy's Sweet Shop).  The Boilers ended up beating the Michigan State Spartans.  Boiler Up!

-Eric and Sarah came to visit, and it was nice to see them and their energetic puppy, Maz!

March:
-I went to a concert with some friends from college.  It was nice to see everyone and to listen to some good music (country singer David Nail).

-I guess we didn't do anything else in March?

April:
-I got a promotion at work! In the IU Health system, all registered nurses start out as "RN Associate Partners."  There is a program called the Career Advancement program that nurses can go through, where they demonstrate that they go above and beyond to be involved on their unit and within the system.  I created a professional portfolio that was reviewed, and then I had an interview.  I was ultimately promoted to "RN Partner"!  There was a nice ceremony where my managers presented plaques to myself and another co-worker in the PICU.  After the ceremony, Matt and I went out to dinner to celebrate before I had to work at 11pm.

-Eric, Dad, and I went down to Lexington, Kentucky for the "Run the Bluegrass" race.  It took place near Keeneland racetrack, and were able to see the race horses practice in the morning as the sun rose.  It was paradise for this horse lover!  Dad and Eric ran the half marathon, and I ran the 7-miler as my ankle/shin/foot continued to give me trouble.  The race was gorgeous, but very hilly!  At mile 6, there was someone offering free beer (which is actually pretty common at races), and for the first time I actually drank it.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not much of a beer drinker, but it sure hit the spot!
-The night before the race, we met up with other "I Run 4" members for dinner, including the founder, Tim!  It was so cool to connect with so many people who make the running group what it is.  There were about 60 of us at the race!

Hanging out with the I Run 4 founder, Tim Boyle.

Watching the horses practice before our race began.

We eat hills for breakfast!

My cutest cheerleader, Anthony!

The whole group of I Run 4 runners at Run the Bluegrass!

-Matt, Mom, Dad, and I drove to Cleveland, Ohio, for the wedding of my childhood friend, Hilary.  Hilary and I have known each other since preschool and it was fun to see her marry her husband Daniel!  I do not remember what Daniel does, but Hilary is a Physician Assistant at the Cleveland Clinic.

May:
-Mom and Dad got a new dog!  His name is Teddy and he is super sweet.  They picked him up on the way home from the wedding in Cleveland.  Dad likes to call Ted his "birthday dog" because he was Dad's birthday present.

-The Mini Marathon tradition continued.  Dad and Eric ran the half marathon, but I ran the 5k (darn ankle).  At the finish, I saw the Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Andrew Luck!

3.1 miles = done!

Eric, Sarah, and me before the race

Andrew Luck!

-At packet pickup the day before the race, I was able to meet Meb Keflezighi, a silver medalist marathon Olympian and both a Boston Marathon and New York Marathon winner!  He is in his 40s and continues to be an elite athlete, but is so down to earth and nice.

-After meeting Meb, Matt and I had dinner with our friends Emily and Ben.  Emily was my roommate for two years at Purdue.  They were in town for the Mini, and it was nice to catch up with them!
 -After the Mini, we continued the tradition of eating way too much good food at Bub's Burgers!  Yum!

-Matt and I went to see the Broadway show "Phantom of the Opera" when it was in Indianapolis.  It was amazing!  There was a seat mix-up, so we ended up sitting in the 6th row for the second act.  It was so good!

-I received a full scholarship (conference fees, hotel, airfare, and a stipend) from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses to attend the yearly NTI (National Teaching Institute) conference.  I attended a couple years back when it was in Denver, and this year it was in New Orleans.  Matt tagged along and we were able to use frequent flier miles so that his flight was free.  We enjoyed exploring the city, especially because the conference took place over my birthday!
-Matt's parents were kind enough to take care of Thor while we were gone.  They even had him "Facetime" me on my birthday!

In front of a helicopter at the conference.

Jackson Square.

Crawfish boil!

Facetiming with the pup.

 -Matt's cousin Amanda had a baby, so we enjoyed meeting baby Fletcher for the first time and getting to play with big brother and sister, Liam and Stella. Congratulations on your beautiful family, Amanda and Matt!

Baby Fletcher!

I think I will end there for the night.  I will pick up with June for the next post!

Love,
Stacey, Matt, and Thor